Cancer Screening
More than one million people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year. While there is usually no way to prevent cancer, early detection is essential in successfully treating the disease. Regular cancer screenings can help spot any abnormalities or changes that may appear before symptoms do.
Various cancer screening blood tests are performed to help reduce the potential damage of these diseases. Some of the most important blood tests to determine the presence of cancer include:
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A complete blood count is used to measure the quantity of several different kinds of blood cells in your body. Certain types of cancer can be diagnosed through this testing if levels of a particular cell are unusually high or low or if abnormal cells are discovered.
Blood Protein Testing
By processing and sorting through the different proteins in the blood, this test can identify whether there are higher numbers of an abnormal immune system protein. If levels are unusually high, it may be an indication of some forms of cancer.
Tumor Marker Tests
If a tumor is present in the body, it will often secrete a chemical that ends up in the bloodstream. A tumor marker test will note an elevated presence of these chemicals. However, there are other bodily cells that may produce the same chemicals at times, so tumor marker tests are not always reliable on their own.
These tests can be very successful in detecting early indicators of cancer that can increase the effectiveness of treatment. If any of the results suggest a possible diagnosis of cancer, further testing will be required.